The next day, the group set off in a dragon-drawn carriage in grand fashion.
From Roswaal's domain to the royal capital would take at least two days.
Rem held the reins up front, while Hayashi Maki sat inside the carriage together with Ram, Aqua, and Emilia.
Of course, Beatrice was there too.
After being holed up for 400 years, the little spirit girl was terrified of loneliness, so now wherever Hayashi Maki went, she followed—practically glued to him like an accessory.
Because of that, when he was "teaching" Ram last night, Beatrice had instantly been dragged into it as well.
Hayashi Maki solemnly insisted to himself: he was not a lolicon.
It was just that the girls he liked—Beatrice, for example—just happened to be legal-loli sized.
Right now Beatrice was sitting on his lap, kicking her slender legs wrapped in pink-striped stockings, the back of her head resting against his chest, a sweet smile on her little face.
Hayashi Maki, on his part, occasionally stroked her head, twirling her golden twin tails between his fingers for fun.
Being clung to by such a cute girl gave him a strong, satisfying sense of accomplishment.
Watching the two of them interact so naturally, Emilia could only smile helplessly and shake her head.
"Hayashi Maki and Beatrice really do get along well."
"Oh? Is my daughter feeling a bit jealous?" Puck teased. "That won't do, you know. Romance has to be taken one step at a time. You can't give up your girlish modesty so easily!"
"Puck, what are you even talking about?" Emilia huffed, cheeks pink. "I'm not thinking about romance at all. I was just making an observation!"
Noticing Hayashi Maki glancing her way, Emilia panicked even more and waved her hands.
"Hayashi Maki, don't listen to Puck's nonsense…"
"Haha, well, if you ever do feel like it, at least consider me first," Hayashi Maki said, raising his brows at her.
Beatrice immediately pinched his waist.
"Unbelievable! Betty is still in your arms and you're already flirting with another woman!" she pouted, her eyes misting. "What do you take Betty for?"
Hayashi Maki couldn't help but laugh.
He leaned down and kissed her soft cheek seriously. "I take Beatrice as my most important, irreplaceable partner. Aren't I literally holding you right now?"
"Hmph, even if you say that, Betty's still not happy, you big flirt! Betty's going to pinch you to death!"
Despite the tsundere bite in her words, her small white hands only gave his waist a light squeeze, making him feel ticklish.
Too bad they were still in the carriage. If they were alone in a room, he would've already thrown Beatrice onto the bed to play with her by now.
He thought about that happily, even as he put on a pained expression. "Ow, murder! Beatrice, if you pinch any harder, your future happiness is going to be in danger! Oof—hey, why did that actually hurt more?"
"Huh? That wasn't Betty," Beatrice sniffed, presenting her palms. "Both hands are right here. Don't pin things on me!"
Hayashi Maki blinked.
"Not Beatrice? Then the one pinching me just now was… Ram?"
He turned his head to the side just in time to see Ram calmly retract her hand and say, completely straight-faced:
"Please don't slander Ram. It was Rem. Ram is earnestly informing the lecherous master."
"Oh, Rem, was it?" Hayashi Maki looked over at the blue-haired maid beside Ram.
"Yes, it was all Rem," Rem said just as solemnly. "Please don't blame Sister Ram, Master. If you must punish someone, punish Rem."
Hayashi Maki's expression froze.
"You know I really will punish you tonight, right? Rem, you shouldn't be taking the blame for Ram."
Rem didn't flinch. "It was Rem who pinched Master."
"Alright, alright. We'll say it was you," Hayashi Maki sighed. "Tonight, I'll punish Ram by making her warm my bed."
Ram: "...?"
The pink-haired maid stared at him in disbelief.
Rem had clearly taken the blame, so why was she the one being punished?
Hayashi Maki shot her a look. "Your so-called 'lecherous master' isn't blind, you know."
As he spoke, he grabbed Ram's soft little hand and kneaded it a few times before reluctantly letting go.
Ram silently cursed him in her heart.
What a pervert. Even now he wouldn't miss a chance to cop a feel.
Hayashi Maki ignored the sisters' little routine, stroked Beatrice's hair again, then pulled out his smartphone to start taking photos of the girls.
Emilia and the two maids' eyes lit up when they saw the device, curiosity all over their faces.
"This is a smartphone," he explained. "It has lots of functions. I'll give each of you one to play with."
With that, he took out several phones he'd modified with alchemy and handed them out.
Aqua immediately perked up.
"Wow, Hayashi Maki, not bad! These phones are even powered by mana!"
"Of course. Please, call me a genius alchemist."
Hayashi Maki grinned and began teaching the girls how to use them.
Because they ran on mana, the phones could communicate over long distances.
The communication channels were tied into his contracts.
Naturally, the camera function fascinated the girls the most.
Things from another world always sparked curiosity.
Emilia earnestly thanked him and said, "I'll treasure it."
She was already thinking about preparing a gift for him in return.
It was only proper to reciprocate.
Aqua toyed with her phone, sneaking glances at Hayashi Maki, feeling more and more that he was truly mysterious.
In this world, he could still pull out tech from the modern age.
On top of that, the phones were made with magic. It was all too unbelievable.
She started to suspect that Hayashi Maki was the one on vacation here.
Just how had someone like him died and ended up at the divine reincarnation counter in the first place?
…
After about half a day, the dragon carriage slowed and came to a halt.
It was time for lunch.
Rem had brought cooking tools, so she handled lunch entirely on her own.
Hayashi Maki, meanwhile, broke out instant noodles and sausages as a special treat for the girls.
The strong, savory aroma made everyone's mouths water, and they drank the soup to the last drop.
Roswaal also got a bowl of instant noodles; as he ate, his eyes narrowed in clear enjoyment.
Another food he'd never seen before. The surprises Hayashi Maki brought just kept piling up.
After lunch and a short rest, the group continued on.
Sitting the whole time was tiring, and Ram had already rested her head against Hayashi Maki's arm.
Hayashi Maki simply wrapped an arm around her slender waist and let her lean into his chest.
As for Beatrice, the spirit girl hadn't left his side for even a moment. Wide awake and full of energy, she spent the time enthusiastically using her phone to take pictures of the scenery outside.
After being cooped up for centuries, the outside world was endlessly fascinating to her.